Now that the kids can safely cross the street on their own, they’ve started to take over some of my jobs at the Farmers’ Market. Specifically, they buy the flowers each week. This particular week, since mom-person had come, 6 year-old No. 1 and 4 year-old No. 2 split up. No. 2 wanted to show mom-person around. No. 1 was more interested in carrying out her usual jobs. I handed her a 20 and asked how much change she should get back for the $5 flowers. “15 dollars,” she responded.
“Do you remember how to get across the street here?”
“Yup”
“OK, I’m going to head down this way, and then I’ll come back up and meet you here if I don’t see you sooner.”
“OK”
“Be safe,” I admonished, as No. 1 headed out for the flower stand across the thoroughfare that divides the market so cars, (of all things), can drive through.
I carried on with my shopping, getting a few particularly sweet cherry tomatoes, and taking time to check out the many vegetables that I have yet to learn the names for, navigating through the crowds that had clumped every so often for an apparently excellent offering of… whatever those were.
When I made it back to where No. 1 and I were to meet, she hadn’t returned. Mom-person, No. 2, and two-year-old No.3 were waiting there, but No. 1 was nowhere to be found. I walked over to the flower stand at a leisurely pace to see what was going on.
As I arrived, I beamed with pride. Lauren had invited No. 1 up and into into the stand to wrap her own flowers. The stands are constructed so that their concrete floors are two feet above the sidewalks in front of them. Each stand has two divots so the people tending them who don’t feel like standing above their customers all day can drop down to sidewalk level.
Lauren, standing in one of the divots was showing No. 1 how wrap her flowers in newspaper. No. 1 had kneeled down on one knee to make eye contact with her while they worked on the flowers. With the flowers wrapped, No.1 handed Lauren tthe money, and accepted her change. Lauren asked her if she needed to or maybe was supposed to wait there for her parents. No. 1 gave her the most confident grin, said, “No, I’m good.” and headed out. Not noticing me in the crowd of the midday Farmers’ Market, she jumped down out of the stall just in front of me, walked down the sidewalk to the crosswalk, and slowly peeked out around the parked car to look for oncoming traffic. She saw a car about 40 yards down the thoroughfare, decided she didn’t have time to make it, and hopped back, almost landing on top of me. That’s when she finally saw me. “Hey! Have you been following me?”
“Nope, I’ve just been behind you for the last few feet. You ready to go?”
“Yup,” she said, and the independent kid and I wandered off to find the rest of the family.
What adventures have your kids had lately? I'd love to hear them!
“Do you remember how to get across the street here?”
“Yup”
“OK, I’m going to head down this way, and then I’ll come back up and meet you here if I don’t see you sooner.”
“OK”
“Be safe,” I admonished, as No. 1 headed out for the flower stand across the thoroughfare that divides the market so cars, (of all things), can drive through.
I carried on with my shopping, getting a few particularly sweet cherry tomatoes, and taking time to check out the many vegetables that I have yet to learn the names for, navigating through the crowds that had clumped every so often for an apparently excellent offering of… whatever those were.
When I made it back to where No. 1 and I were to meet, she hadn’t returned. Mom-person, No. 2, and two-year-old No.3 were waiting there, but No. 1 was nowhere to be found. I walked over to the flower stand at a leisurely pace to see what was going on.
As I arrived, I beamed with pride. Lauren had invited No. 1 up and into into the stand to wrap her own flowers. The stands are constructed so that their concrete floors are two feet above the sidewalks in front of them. Each stand has two divots so the people tending them who don’t feel like standing above their customers all day can drop down to sidewalk level.
Lauren, standing in one of the divots was showing No. 1 how wrap her flowers in newspaper. No. 1 had kneeled down on one knee to make eye contact with her while they worked on the flowers. With the flowers wrapped, No.1 handed Lauren tthe money, and accepted her change. Lauren asked her if she needed to or maybe was supposed to wait there for her parents. No. 1 gave her the most confident grin, said, “No, I’m good.” and headed out. Not noticing me in the crowd of the midday Farmers’ Market, she jumped down out of the stall just in front of me, walked down the sidewalk to the crosswalk, and slowly peeked out around the parked car to look for oncoming traffic. She saw a car about 40 yards down the thoroughfare, decided she didn’t have time to make it, and hopped back, almost landing on top of me. That’s when she finally saw me. “Hey! Have you been following me?”
“Nope, I’ve just been behind you for the last few feet. You ready to go?”
“Yup,” she said, and the independent kid and I wandered off to find the rest of the family.
What adventures have your kids had lately? I'd love to hear them!
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